I am a former garden designer, and studied architecture in the 1980s. I LOVE the field of design, no matter if it's exterior or interior. What I find crushing these days is reading an article on the internet about the new trend in color, or counter tops, etc. The script is accusatory sometimes and the photos appear so soulless, and, if you've just finished your new kitchen, it must be gutting to discover that "experts" think it's now out-dated. I agree very much with the idea of studying the design, art, and architecture of the past, and then acknowledging to oneself what moves you personally, both esthetically and in your soul. Do "you", but make sure you actually have enough knowledge to truly know what is out there, and truly makes your statement. Don't just copy something because everyone says it's the latest thing.
I couldn't agree more. Equally crushing is when the interior design industry rewards "influencer" content (people merely adept at manipulating algorithms) with "collaborations". This results in purely derivative, dumbed-down design products and rooms. " There is so much room for innovation! You do you, indeed!
Lynn, I enjoy your thoughtful, thorough Substack articles and they are sui generis on the platform. Due maybe to lack of a category, also maybe due to an impression Substack is not visual--a forum for essays and argument, even though it handles photos fine and they promote videos. I'm glad it's not yet a crowded scene of bland, monetized content as blogging became.
On the dispiriting sameness in interior design as seen on the internet, it feels like there are many causes. The democratization of design that Sean Yashar discusses is an element, but I don't think you can turn the clock back to the rarefied elite past (and I don't wish a return. People deserve to live with good design and our culture already affords too much deference to big wealth.) Yashar's point on the ill-effects of Design Entertainment is spot on. I blame HGTV for an avalanche of gray, black and white cookie cutter "design", and for the horrid "remuddling" of older residences seen on the insta We Prefer The Before.
So much online content is about DIY at the lowest common denominator. Showing:
-no understanding of design history or principles
-no appreciation of connoisseurship
-a quick hunt for attainable fakes over authenticity
-often a fear of color
-a promotion of copying a "look" rather than individual creativity and expression
-no understanding of inspiration and influence vs imitation
-a terrible emphasis on a speed-cycle of trend vs "datedness" (financially wasteful and hard on the environment)
Some "pros" are in on this. We just moved to Seattle and when shopping for a condo I wanted to strangle the stagers who all seem to follow one dreary recipe. (I know staging has different aims, but still.... haha.)
It's not all bleak - there are inspiring images and people online who make it clear what good designers can do. There IS more access to quality and inspiring things to see if you search.
Sorry this got so long! Few will read it all, but the topic winds me up! The democratization of design could have meant the extension of good design to far more people, but hasn't turned out that way. You're exactly right that the antidote is taking time to educate yourself about design (whether you plan DIY or to hire a designer) and your list of suggestions on how to do that is excellent!
Wendy, I appreciate your insights particularly your reference to the a promotion of copying a "look" rather than individual creativity and expression. Drives me crazy. I will continue to beat my drum about the importance of understanding design history and principles and glad to have you along for the ride! Knowledge of the traditions is the more powerful avenue to innovation. You need to know the rules to break them.
Thanks for the kind words about Living Small: I'm honored to be mentioned. And I am indeed very interested in that little Frank Lloyd Wright house: What a gem! Adding it to my list of homes to visit someday.
You develop some of the best content in the shelter niche on Substack and I enjoy reading you whenever I find you published elsewhere. The FLW is charming so I hope you see it some day.
I completely agree and absolutely love your Substack! I’m an interior designer in Brooklyn and I try to find inspiration around me instead of from Pinterest or Instagram. I do look at those in order to know what everyone else is doing so I don’t do the same. I started a Substack on interior design advice because I get so many questions from friends and feel like people should have a resource, and I haven’t seen anyone doing this specifically. I’m designing my own rented apartment and learning so much in the process. It’s called Odd Salon because I enjoy things that are “odd” or unique and made with intention. You’re not speaking to a void, you’re speaking to me and I am so grateful!
Annie so glad to have you along for the ride! I can't wait delve into your Substack. Since we are neighbors (I live in Queens) we will have to hit up a design trade fair. or antique show sometime!
I couldn't agree more. Uniformity is the death of personality. One's home reflects one's life, how can it be the same with everyone else? True, major brands have branches everywhere, and the public can ebmnd up with similar items at home. But that is where sameness ends. One can be creative at home with the simplest of objects, and so long as trends don't enter into it!
I agree about research too. Not relying on ready made solutions, and focusing on what really appeals;inspiration is everywhere: books, films, series, old and new issues of magazines. Where we live informs how we live, so why make it about someone else?
As for all the marketing flying around, it is what it is. Encouraging sameness. But any art, be it architecture, or music, or literature, or living, is not transactional. It acts as a mirror to the creator. And it takes work! Something our instant satisfaction world seems to forget!
Yours is the only interiors-focused stack that I subscribe to. I haven't found another to match it. That's at least partly because, as you rightly point out, there's no category to search through.
I am honored that you subscribe to Emerald City. I love how you research your own posts with such detail. A category would indeed help find the golden nuggets among the stones. Thank you for reading.
Hi Lynn! Subscriber of yours and also fellow Substacker. I wrote about shopping vintage to design a home (I am a longtime journalist who wrote a best selling book about the topic) and recently wrote a piece about how social media algorithms are homogenizing design. Couldn’t agree with you more and loved reading this!
Hi Lynn. Thank you for reading my paper. I’m glad it resonated with you. Re: gatekeeping- let me clarify better. I agree/believe good design should be accessible to all. What I am suggesting, is a redefining of the word gatekeeping. Gatekeeping, in the sense that the design practice may benefit by moving away from creating content that over simplifies mastery of the art form, and complexities of the service of interior design. My call is to stop treating design content like Bob Ross tutorials teach how-to paint.
Loved reading this! As a designer who loves visiting my local library and pouring over vintage interiors books, one thing I’ve noticed about great interiors is that they are built over time, and feel collected and completely unique to the person who loves there.
A big issue we have with interiors today is that many people don’t stay in one place long enough to even begin that process. Real estate has become like trading cards and many homeowners design their spaces based on resale value or the taste of an invisible buyer down the road.
Once upon a time, your home was your personal museum; a scrapbook that combined all the places you’ve been, experiences you’ve had, how you want to live when you escape from the chaos of the world outside. I hope we can return to that.
I’ve always said, “There’s a big difference between decorating a room and simply furnishing it. Choose accordingly.”
I am a former garden designer, and studied architecture in the 1980s. I LOVE the field of design, no matter if it's exterior or interior. What I find crushing these days is reading an article on the internet about the new trend in color, or counter tops, etc. The script is accusatory sometimes and the photos appear so soulless, and, if you've just finished your new kitchen, it must be gutting to discover that "experts" think it's now out-dated. I agree very much with the idea of studying the design, art, and architecture of the past, and then acknowledging to oneself what moves you personally, both esthetically and in your soul. Do "you", but make sure you actually have enough knowledge to truly know what is out there, and truly makes your statement. Don't just copy something because everyone says it's the latest thing.
I couldn't agree more. Equally crushing is when the interior design industry rewards "influencer" content (people merely adept at manipulating algorithms) with "collaborations". This results in purely derivative, dumbed-down design products and rooms. " There is so much room for innovation! You do you, indeed!
Lynn, I enjoy your thoughtful, thorough Substack articles and they are sui generis on the platform. Due maybe to lack of a category, also maybe due to an impression Substack is not visual--a forum for essays and argument, even though it handles photos fine and they promote videos. I'm glad it's not yet a crowded scene of bland, monetized content as blogging became.
On the dispiriting sameness in interior design as seen on the internet, it feels like there are many causes. The democratization of design that Sean Yashar discusses is an element, but I don't think you can turn the clock back to the rarefied elite past (and I don't wish a return. People deserve to live with good design and our culture already affords too much deference to big wealth.) Yashar's point on the ill-effects of Design Entertainment is spot on. I blame HGTV for an avalanche of gray, black and white cookie cutter "design", and for the horrid "remuddling" of older residences seen on the insta We Prefer The Before.
So much online content is about DIY at the lowest common denominator. Showing:
-no understanding of design history or principles
-no appreciation of connoisseurship
-a quick hunt for attainable fakes over authenticity
-often a fear of color
-a promotion of copying a "look" rather than individual creativity and expression
-no understanding of inspiration and influence vs imitation
-a terrible emphasis on a speed-cycle of trend vs "datedness" (financially wasteful and hard on the environment)
Some "pros" are in on this. We just moved to Seattle and when shopping for a condo I wanted to strangle the stagers who all seem to follow one dreary recipe. (I know staging has different aims, but still.... haha.)
It's not all bleak - there are inspiring images and people online who make it clear what good designers can do. There IS more access to quality and inspiring things to see if you search.
Sorry this got so long! Few will read it all, but the topic winds me up! The democratization of design could have meant the extension of good design to far more people, but hasn't turned out that way. You're exactly right that the antidote is taking time to educate yourself about design (whether you plan DIY or to hire a designer) and your list of suggestions on how to do that is excellent!
Wendy, I appreciate your insights particularly your reference to the a promotion of copying a "look" rather than individual creativity and expression. Drives me crazy. I will continue to beat my drum about the importance of understanding design history and principles and glad to have you along for the ride! Knowledge of the traditions is the more powerful avenue to innovation. You need to know the rules to break them.
Have you seen Rare Birds, True Style by Violet Naylor-Leyland? You might find it inspirational thought it is not only about interiors.
I have not and now I can't wait to dig it up. Thanks for the recommendation.
Inspiration is about inspiration, not flogging stuff, not imitating others, but genuinely seeing something in a new way, finding a creative spark…
Thanks for the kind words about Living Small: I'm honored to be mentioned. And I am indeed very interested in that little Frank Lloyd Wright house: What a gem! Adding it to my list of homes to visit someday.
You develop some of the best content in the shelter niche on Substack and I enjoy reading you whenever I find you published elsewhere. The FLW is charming so I hope you see it some day.
I completely agree and absolutely love your Substack! I’m an interior designer in Brooklyn and I try to find inspiration around me instead of from Pinterest or Instagram. I do look at those in order to know what everyone else is doing so I don’t do the same. I started a Substack on interior design advice because I get so many questions from friends and feel like people should have a resource, and I haven’t seen anyone doing this specifically. I’m designing my own rented apartment and learning so much in the process. It’s called Odd Salon because I enjoy things that are “odd” or unique and made with intention. You’re not speaking to a void, you’re speaking to me and I am so grateful!
Annie so glad to have you along for the ride! I can't wait delve into your Substack. Since we are neighbors (I live in Queens) we will have to hit up a design trade fair. or antique show sometime!
Yes I’d love that!!
I couldn't agree more. Uniformity is the death of personality. One's home reflects one's life, how can it be the same with everyone else? True, major brands have branches everywhere, and the public can ebmnd up with similar items at home. But that is where sameness ends. One can be creative at home with the simplest of objects, and so long as trends don't enter into it!
I agree about research too. Not relying on ready made solutions, and focusing on what really appeals;inspiration is everywhere: books, films, series, old and new issues of magazines. Where we live informs how we live, so why make it about someone else?
As for all the marketing flying around, it is what it is. Encouraging sameness. But any art, be it architecture, or music, or literature, or living, is not transactional. It acts as a mirror to the creator. And it takes work! Something our instant satisfaction world seems to forget!
Here is to work, because no creativity just happens!
Yours is the only interiors-focused stack that I subscribe to. I haven't found another to match it. That's at least partly because, as you rightly point out, there's no category to search through.
I am honored that you subscribe to Emerald City. I love how you research your own posts with such detail. A category would indeed help find the golden nuggets among the stones. Thank you for reading.
Hi Lynn! Subscriber of yours and also fellow Substacker. I wrote about shopping vintage to design a home (I am a longtime journalist who wrote a best selling book about the topic) and recently wrote a piece about how social media algorithms are homogenizing design. Couldn’t agree with you more and loved reading this!
Hi Lynn. Thank you for reading my paper. I’m glad it resonated with you. Re: gatekeeping- let me clarify better. I agree/believe good design should be accessible to all. What I am suggesting, is a redefining of the word gatekeeping. Gatekeeping, in the sense that the design practice may benefit by moving away from creating content that over simplifies mastery of the art form, and complexities of the service of interior design. My call is to stop treating design content like Bob Ross tutorials teach how-to paint.
Aspiring interior designer here. Absolutely thrilled to have found your Substack.
Hi! 👋🏼
Loved reading this! As a designer who loves visiting my local library and pouring over vintage interiors books, one thing I’ve noticed about great interiors is that they are built over time, and feel collected and completely unique to the person who loves there.
A big issue we have with interiors today is that many people don’t stay in one place long enough to even begin that process. Real estate has become like trading cards and many homeowners design their spaces based on resale value or the taste of an invisible buyer down the road.
Once upon a time, your home was your personal museum; a scrapbook that combined all the places you’ve been, experiences you’ve had, how you want to live when you escape from the chaos of the world outside. I hope we can return to that.
I’ve always said, “There’s a big difference between decorating a room and simply furnishing it. Choose accordingly.”